Final Moments
by Frostisamoronhaha
Summary: Most people think before they act. The Careers think before they die.
1. Marvel

The shrill, feminine shriek cuts through the air. I stop in my tracks, it didn't come from far away and I'm well armed. But, it could be a trap and I'm alone at the moment. Should I risk it? It might be the girl from District 12, the one who scored 11 in her training.

I can tell what my father must be thinking now. "Go after it, you idiot!" Yes, to my father, my name's not Marvel. On a good day, it's idiot.

I take the risk and run toward the scream, a spear in my hand. It's when I get closer when I realize that I'm near the place where Cato, Clove and I set a trap a few days ago. Could Fire Girl Katniss have gotten stuck in it? I push the thought away. No, she doesn't seem that dumb. Same with the girl from District 5. And Loverboy and the big black kid from 11 couldn't be the ones screaming. Duh, they're guys.

My heart's beating fast and adrenaline is coursing through my veins. Whoever I'm gonna kill, I don't care. All I care about is getting back home to District 1. I never cared about these stupid games. My parents signed me up when I was 6 for the Training Academy and I accidentally passed the test when I punched an older kid who called me skinny.

The only person I really care about is my younger sister, Clear. She's only twelve and she's always being picked on, everyone calls her weak. Our father keeps shouting at her to learn to stand up for herself, but he just creeps her out. I know that if I win these games, our father would probably shut up for once and Clear would get some respect from her peers.

I'm almost at the place now. The screams are louder. The girl's calling for someone, an ally.

"Katniss! Katniss, help!"

I reach the clearing and hurl the spear at the tribute lying on the ground, tangled in a net. Time seems to slow down from then on. I look properly at the tribute and I feel sick.

She stares at me with pain and panic in her eyes. She's the twelve year old tribute from District 11. The youngest tribute in these games. But her age isn't what's filling me with dread.

I look at her and I see Clear.

I barely have any time to move when the arrow pierces my neck and I fall to my knees. Instinctively, I yank the arrow out and curse inwardly as even more blood spurts from my wound, soaking me in a scarlet flood.

Fire Girl Katniss has made it to the clearing, she was the one who shot the arrow. She runs over to the little girl who I had just killed, her expression a mixture of fear, grief and panic. I cant hear what they're saying anymore, my vision is going dark around the edges and despite the endless red tide that's flowing from my neck, I feel strangely calm. It's as if I suddenly knew that I was never meant to win these games and I suddenly could except it.

The strength I've known all my life is fading from me and I fall to the ground. Even someone with the power of Cato couldn't fight what was about to happen to me and the crazy thing was, I was strangely ok with it.

It's a shame I can't see Clear again, I hope she'll be able to put up with the bullies. Maybe she'll make some friends out of people who understand what it's like to lose a sibling to the games. I stare blankly at the sky. My hovercraft has appeared now, it's waiting for Fire Girl Katniss to go and for me to die.

I feel as if I'm being dragged down, away from my body, and then everything goes dark.


	2. Glimmer

**AN: Decided to make this multiple chapters. Just for the hell of it.**

I shift, trying to get as close as possible to Cato. I smirk to myself when I see Clove glaring at me over the embers of the dying fire. Someone is jealous.

My closeness toward Cato is bound to confuse the audience, maybe even win me a few more sponsors when I make my ability to wrap almost anyone around my little finger clear. I have to say, Clove's annoyance toward me surprises me quite a bit, I've never seen the District Two tributes show any kind of affection toward each other. If anything, I would have thought they _hated_ each other.

Marvel gives me an occasional surprised look. I hardly know him, but I know he doesn't give a bull's notion on romance. All I know is he wants to win. Might have something to do with that little sister he just won't shut up about.

Aqua's just sitting there, staring into the fire. She still hasn't gotten over the death of her district partner. Her fault, they shouldn't even be close in the first place, it just hurts you more in the end when you have to kill them.

That brings me to Lover Boy. He keeps staring mournfully into the tree and freezing like a deer in the headlights when he notices I'm watching.

I chat about random things to Cato. He mostly just wants to talk about killing the girl in the tree above him, so I join in and laugh every now and again, trying hard to ignore Clove who is angrily impaling an innocent little lizard with her knives, no doubt imagining that it's me.

I keep 'talking' with him until Clove finally tells us to shut up and Marvel actually agrees. I make a big show out of rolling my eyes and I lie down next to Cato. _Right_ next to him. I mean, I'm practically lying on top of him. I grip my bow in one hand and pray that Clove won't kill me in my sleep.

* * *

I wake up at the sound of buzzing and screaming. Things start to sting me and the pain is unbearable. I stumble to my feet, barely aware of my surroundings when more things sting me. Golden tracker-jackers are flying around the camp, madly stinging everyone. Marvel is screaming "Get to the lake!" and Cato and Lover Boy are nowhere to be seen. Aqua's screaming while flailing around on the ground. I can barely recognize her from all the stings she's got. Her cannon goes off a few seconds later.

More tracker-jackers sting me, I feel like I'm on fire and I force myself to move- well, more like stagger away. I'm panicking now, I start randomly squatting at the wasplike mutts with my bow when I feel someone shove me back down. I just manage to glimpse Clove's smirking face before the tracker-jackers leave and the hallucinations begin.

As I lie here, too swollen to move properly, I see a rainbow bridge stretching across the morning sky. A badger pads over, kneels over me and asks for the time, shaking it's head disapprovingly and walking away again when I don't answer.

I moan and roll onto my side, only to be greeted by the sight of my two sisters and younger brother being brutally decapitated by bread rolls with swords. They have just time to scream at me to stay focused before their heads are cut off and their blood sprays all over my face.

Our parent's house in the Victor's Village is burning town while running toward me at the same time, a second later, it transforms into Miss Oh-So-Perfect-Fire-Girl from District 12. I try and whack the hallucination with my bow, but my limbs have swollen to at least twice their size and I can't move at all. I discover that Miss Oh-So-Perfect-Fire-Girl _isn't_ a hallucination when she woozily yanks the bow from my grip and rolls me over and tries to pull the quiver off my back. Behind her, I notice Cato is dancing around, singing extremely inappropriate at the top of his lungs and all of a sudden, it's raining cats and dogs. Literally. A Siamese kitten lands right next to my face.

I think it's the venom from the stings affecting my brain, but in the last few seconds of my life, I suddenly wonder why the heck I volunteered in the first place. Both my parents were victors, we had more money than we needed, I was popular. I had nothing to gain except pride in winning these games. I almost laugh, yeah, I'm feeling _really_ proud now.

Looks like my arrogance has led to my death. Yippee.


	3. Clove

"Alright, Clove, here's the plan." I turn, surprised to look at Cato.

"What?" I ask dumbly.

Cato sighs, "The feast, remember?" He says, "We're going to go to the Cornucopia to get what we desperately need."

"I knew that." I say, sliding several knives into the inside of my jacket. Call me crazy, but I've actually given names to them. I call them Clove 2, Cutter, Stabby, Slashy, Throwy, Killy, Cleaver, Deathday, Slicer, Mincey and Bloody. They make way better company than Cato.

Cato rolls his eyes, "I've come up with a plan in which we'd be able to get what we need, killing several other tributes in the process."

"Great." I say.

"You'll be needing your pet knives." Cato tells me, "The plan is that you follow the first person who runs for the Cornucopia. If it's District 11, kill him at a distance. He appears to be the only threat. If it's District 5, just kill her anyway. It's highly unlikely Peeta would turn up. If he's stupid enough to, he'll be extremely easy to kill. If it's Katniss Everdeen-"

"I'll give the audience a good show." I growl, clenching my fists so hard, my nails are biting into my palms. Over these last few rainy days, all I've been thinking of is ways to kill Katniss. I _hate_ that girl. She first overshadows me, a _Career_ in both the Tribute Parade and Training Scores, stealing all my sponsors. She then had the nerve to drop a _tracker-jacker_ nest on our heads! And they say _I'm_ crazy! That girl has planned her own funeral ever since she set foot in the Capitol. "Let me kill her."

Cato shrugs, "Sure, then." He says, "If you really want to. I'll be hiding in the forest, not far from the Cornucopia. If you're having trouble or that guy from District Eleven turns up, call me, stall whoever's giving you trouble by introducing them to your pet knives and I'll be there soon."

"Why not just come with me?" I ask him, although I know what kind of excuse he's going to make.

"I want the other tributes to think that it's just you at the feast." He tell me.

"In other words, you're too scared to come." I say.

Cato looks furious, "No!" He protests, "It's something called _strategy_ and being _organized_!"

Cato is probably the least strategic and organized person I know. All the same, I hold up my hands, "Right, right." I mutter, deciding not to provoke him into another on of his kill-everything-and-do-not-stop-until-you-convince -me-that-whoever-I'm-angry-at-is-dead rages. I was a lot better at shutting Cato up with someone to help me keep my cool. But since Aqua, Glimmer and Marvel are all dead, I'm stuck with him until the end of time. Why did Claudius Templesmith have to give that new rule? Oh yeah, because of that bastard, Lover Boy.

Jut the thought of him infuriates me. Love is pointless, it just ends up hurting you in the end. If you love someone, you shouldn't show it. Not because you'll be showing weakness, but the person you love may end up loving you back and when something happens to you, they get hurt.

And then Lover Boy comes in, sweeps everyone off their feet by saying he loves a shallow-minded girl who just so happened to conveniently come with him into the games. God, I hate him.

I turn Stabby around in my hands, imagining him sinking into Katniss's throat. Oh happy daydreams.

[New Paragraph Thingy]

I've been crouched down in the bushes for so long, my legs are killing me. I glare at the sky, dawn has passed and the bloody Feast hasn't started, what's taking the Gamemakers so long? All they have to do is press a little button, sit back and watch!

I shift impatiently into a slightly more comfortable position and glare at the golden Cornucopia and at that moment, the ground opens up and a table emerges with four backpacks on it. I see the number 2 on one of them, but I won't run after it just yet.

A teenage girl with red hair runs out of the Cornucopia, grabs her bag and takes off into the woods. It's the girls from District Five. I don't chase after her, I've got my own bag to worry about. Plus, she's not much of a fighter, Cato and I'll worry about her later.

I see some movement to my right and Katniss is charging out of the forest. _She's_ my target.

I run after her, gripping Throwy in my hand and hurl it at her. She sees it just at the last moment and manages to deflect the knife with her bow. Katniss reloads and shoots at me, I dodge and avoid it puncturing anything vital, but it impales my left arm.

Pain jolts through my body and I immediately pull it out, wincing as blood flows freely from my limb. I'm glad I throw with my right arm, or I'd be screwed.

Katniss reaches the table and grabs her District's tiny little backpack. She's just turning back to the woods when I hurl Slashy at her, missing her eye but temporarily blinding her with her own blood. She panics and fires another arrow, but if misses me by a mile. I smirk, she's mine now.

I tackle her and pin her down. She sqirms around, trying to wriggle out from underneath me, but it's no use.

"Where's your boyfriend, District Twelve?" I sneer. "Still hanging on?" I know the answer. He's as good as dead by now, but I want to make this take as long as possible.

Katniss scowls up at me, hatred burning in her eyes, "He's out there now, hunting Cato." She spits. Then she starts screaming, "Peeta!"

Is she telling the truth? I can't be sure. I shove my hand down onto her throat, making her gag and glance around the clearing. Katniss and I are the only people here and I don't hear anyone coming.

"Liar." I say with a smirk, "He's nearly dead, Cato knows where he cut him." I don't doubt Cato's ability to kill at all. "You've probably got him strapped up in some tree while you try and keep his heart going. What's in the pretty little backpack? That medicine for Lover Boy? Too bad he'll never get it."

I surprise myself with what I say. This has happened once to me before. With Rain...

I push away my thoughts and pull Bloody out from my jacket, "I told Cato that if he let me have you, I'll give the audience a good show." I say, smirking. This is going to be fun. She sees the look in my eyes and flails around beneath me. I use my left arm which is still oozing blood to shove her back down, "Forget it, District Twelve." I tell her, "We're going to kill you. Just like your pathetic ally." And my sister.

_Shut up!_ I tell myself, irritated. This was no time to think about my past. I have left that all behind, I feel nothing anymore. I don't have anyone left, so just shut up!

"What was her name again?" I continue, my grip on Bloody tightening, "Rue? Well, first Rue, then you, and then we'll let nature take care of Lover Boy. How does that sound?" I stop myself from adding, _It all happened to me, I think you'll be fine_ and say instead, "Now, where to start?" I wipe blood from her face and stare hard at it. I'm considering carving a rude message on it, or drawing something inappropriate, that would be funny. But then I get ab better idea.

"I think we'll start with your mouth." I say coolly, delicately tracing the outline of her lips with Bloody's blade, "Want to blow Lover Boy one last kiss?"

Katniss spits in my face and I angrily wipe it away, my smirk gone, "Alright." I spit, let's get started." I dig the point of the knife into her lower lip and I feel something wrap around my torso and yank me off her. I drop Bloody and I'm screaming my head off. What the heck is going on?

I writhe around and a second later, I'm thrown the ground. I catch a glimpse of Katniss, who's looking just as shocked as me.

Thresh is standing over me, looking as creepy as ever. His oddly-coloured eyes are burning and I can't help but shrink back when he starts yelling, "WHAT'D YOU DO TO THAT LITTLE GIRL? YOU KILL HER?"

Forget about the tough-talking, mentally unstable Career everyone is used to seeing me as. I honestly feel like wetting my pants. I crawl backwards, not looking where I'm going. I'm too busy keeping my eyes on the massive dark boy towering over me.

_He looks like Rain..._ I think, but I shove the thought away. This is not time to be thinking about dead romantic interests!

"No!" I shriek, really panicking now, "No, I-" I see the rock in his hand and the only thing I can think is _I'm dead_. "Cato! CATO!" I scream before the rock smashes into my temple, cracking open my skull.

Alright, forget about him being like Rain. They're nothing alike.

Everything seems to slow down as I fall to the ground. I hear Thresh and Katniss, but their voices sound so quiet. Through my blurred vision, I see Thresh running toward the fields with two backpacks. Two? Does he have Cato and mine as well?

It doesn't matter anymore. I shouldn't care.

I shouldn't have cared about entering the Games anyway. Why did I do it? My family is dead, I have no one to make proud. Heck, my sister was betrayed by the Tributes from District 4 just five years back. I was glad that they died quickly this year. I even slit the boy from District Four's throat in the bloodbath. It was the only way I could feel like I was getting revenge.

Cato's suddenly kneeling beside me. I'm confused, when did he get there? He's trying to tell me something, his eyes are pleading and by the way his lips are moving, I think he's saying 'Stay with me, please!'.

I give a shaky smile. "Sorry Cato, no can do." I mumble. At least I'll be joining Rain. I hope he understands that the medicine for him was too expensive and there was no way I could afford it. He was the last person I had left, I hope he forgives me.

Cato's trying to say something else, but my vision is growing dark and I can barely hear him anymore. The last thing I hear is a cannon going off.


End file.
